Mediaboss Marketing

A Google Webmaster Help thread has bloggers who run off the Blogger Custom Domain set up that their new blog posts are not being indexed and ranked in the Google search results.

It seems like this is happening to a large number of those on the Blogger platform - although it is not happening to everyone.

The reports date back to the 8th of February and continue almost 10 days later.

John Mueller from Google first thought it might just be normal Google fluctuations but came back in this morning and said maybe something is up. He wrote:

We hear from your posts here that these fluctuations haven't settled down for some of you, so we're definitely still looking into those details.

Of course, this might be nothing and just a delay on crawling for some sites. Or it may be something bigger. John explains in more detail:

Fluctuations in crawling and indexing can be normal, and are to be expected. While we work hard to make the processes as stable as possible, temporary changes can occur over time. In this case, it looks like we may have reduced crawling of some sites temporarily (this should be back to normal since several days though). You can see our crawling activity in your server logs, or in the Webmaster Tools "Crawl stats" section. If you have seen fluctuations like that in this time, keep in mind that it may take a bit of time for things to settle back down again.

Generally speaking, one possible way to make sure that technical fluctuations like these are resolved as quickly as possible is to make sure that you have a fantastic website. While the quality of your website won't keep technical issues away completely, it can help to make sure that our algorithms are happy to spend a significant part of their time/resources on crawling and indexing your content in an optimal way. While I haven't reviewed all of the sites that posted here, some of them do look like they could be somewhat improved. If you're unsure what that could involve, I'd recommend starting a new thread here, listing your site's URL, the goals of your site, and asking for honest & open feedback from the community at large. A good rule of thumb is to try to be the absolute best, by far, website in your niche -- don't focus on other websites that are "just as bad" or "doing the same thing."

Is your custom Blogger domain indexing new posts fine in Google?

Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.

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Google Indexing Issue With Custom Blogger Domains?

LESE MAJESTE

The Criminal Court will give a verdict for lese majeste defendant Chiranuch Premchaiyaporn on April 30, three years after her arrest in March 2009.

Chiranuch: Preparing for verdict

The court yesterday set the date to deliver the verdict after three consecutive days of hearing.

Ms Chiranuch, webmaster of the independent prachatai.com news website, was charged under the Computer Crime Act (CCA) and the Criminal Code's Section 112, better known as the lese majeste law, following postings of messages found on the website's web board deemed to be insulting to the monarchy.

Court officials yesterday said the court has been fair in allowing as many hearings, in-depth testimonies, and cross-examinations as possible.

All sides should also trust the integrity and knowledge of the court in the coming verdict, they said.

The defence lawyer team would have to submit its closing statement within 30 days.

Ms Chiranuch said she would discuss with her lawyers how to prepare the closing statements. She was relieved the hearing was over, but said the verdict has yet to come. "On one hand, it has ended, but on the other hand, we also have to prepare for whatever [verdict] will be delivered," Ms Chiranuch said.

"This is a significant court case. It is unprecedented, so it's imperative that we do our best in mounting our defence, including presenting loopholes or inadequacies in the [CCA] guidelines for web operators."

Representatives of the diplomatic community, activists, and academics showed up during the hearing.

Among them, representatives from the European Commission, the embassies of Switzerland, Sweden, the US and the Office of the UN Human Rights presented their views.

The defence's five witnesses have given testimony, consisting of the website's censorship volunteer, a law lecturer, computer engineering expert, a website owner, and a mass communication expert.

Dr Kitipumi Chutasmit, director of Phusing Hospital, testified on behalf of the censorship volunteers.

He told the court a few dozen volunteers monitored inappropriate content on prachatai.com's web board.

General readers could also inform the webmaster if they found undesirable content there, Dr Kitipumi said.

Sawatree Suksri, Thammasat University's law lecturer, told the court that internet freedom was a fundamental human right.

She cited a UN report in May last year that intermediaries should not be held liable for any offence committed by a third party unless they collaborated or knew about it.

The authorities have not issued guidelines or regulations to understand and expedite the law, she told the court.

Jittat Fakcharoenphol, Kasetsart University's computer engineering lecturer, said he was approached to be a director and treasurer of prachatai.com in 2008 following the webmaster's increasing concerns that the volunteers were not enough to screen out inappropriate contents.

"We thought about developing a computer programme to help screen and alert us for inappropriate words and content so the webmaster would be able to delete it in time," Mr Jittat said.

However, he said, the ideas were not put in place since the webmaster had decided to close down the web board as she faced more problems, Mr Jittat said.

During cross-examination, the prosecutor asked if it was the duty of the webmaster to take full responsibility for supervising the web board administration. Mr Jittat said that was the case in principle.

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Court sets date to decide webmaster Chiranuch's fate

ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwire -02/16/12)- Evolve Digital Labs, a St. Louis-based digital marketing agency, has assembled a useful resource for novices of Search Engine Optimization. This document, appropriately titled the SEO Guide for Beginners, provides an overview of search engine operations, on-site components of web pages, and various strategies for improving visibility in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Essentially, it is the ultimate resource for the question "How to SEO?"

Derek Mabie, President of Evolve, initially decided to create this downloadable white paper because he noticed that there was a lack of resources available to those interested in learning more about SEO. It also provided the brand with the opportunity to display its expertise on the subject. "We wanted to convey that Search plays a dominant role in marketing," Mabie said. "This document encapsulates the functions and features of search engines so beginners can understand where to start."

Students in particular are enjoying the contents of the SEO Guide. Because the industry is new in comparison to others, SEO doesn't necessarily take precedence over traditional marketing methods in college courses. In reality, though, the subject is increasingly relevant -- for this reason, many students of Marketing and Advertising are eager to learn more about SEO as a means of preparing for a successful future. "Search Engine Optimization is an essential skill for today's communications professionals, but it's not always an easy element to explain," said Jill Faulk, professor at Lindenwood University in St. Louis. "Evolve Digital Labs' SEO Guide for Beginners serves as a comprehensive resource. It gives those new to SEO a tangible grasp on a concept that can often feel abstract at first."

Evolve Digital Labs plans to continue producing valuable content like the SEO Guide for Beginners, focusing on significant changes in the search engines' algorithms and industry trends. "There is so much information to harness and publish," Mabie said. "As long as people are willing to learn, we will keep writing, pushing, and teaching."

See the article here:
St. Louis Digital Marketing Agency Publishes Free SEO Guide

Dallas based SEO 1 Services has unveiled a new marketing platform exclusively dedicated to the medical industry.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) February 17, 2012

SEO 1 Services, a company specializing in search engine marketing solutions, has launched SEO 1 Medical, a medical marketing platform for health care providers and others in the health field professions. "SEO 1 Services is one of the top names in search engine marketing, and the SEO 1 Medical product and platform were created to fill a need facing health care providers concerning search engine marketing and advertising campaigns" said a skpokesperson for the company.

The newly launched SEO 1 Medical Marketing platform allows physicians and other healthcare providers marketing opportunities geared towards this industry using the search engines. There are a number of search engine optimization companies on the internet, but few that are created specifically for the health field. The staff assembled by SEO 1 Services for the new platform and marketing programs offered include: programmers, designers, and creative personnel so that all search engine marketing needs can be met. There is a range of SEO prices and packages offered, and these include Gold, Platinum, and Titanium packages.

SEO 1 Medical offers a wide depth and breadth of products and services geared towards the healthcare industry. These services include organic SEO, pay per click, article marketing, press release distribution, Google optimization, local search marketing campaigns, and reputation management, among others. Many health professionals have found that typical SEO and SEM efforts do not provide the desired results, and the need for these services in the health field was obvious.

About SEO 1 Services:

SEO 1 Services is a search engine marketing company specializing in online visibility solutions by increasing its clients' ranking and positioning in popular search engines. Leveraging over three decades of combined website marketing know-how, SEO 1 Services' integrated approach creates highly targeted optimization campaigns that deliver online visibility, web marketing traffic and internet business objectives. SEO 1 Services' certified consultants drive the innovation, the proprietary technology and optimization methodologies that have delivered our clients' success.

http://www.seo1services.com

http://www.seo1medical.com

###

Rodney Brooke
SEO 1 Medical
888-751-1114
Email Information

Read more here:
SEO 1 Services Launches a Medical Marketing Division

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at the inaugural World Information Architecture Day (WIAD) in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the topic of information architecture and search engine optimization (SEO).

Normally, I teach SEO professionals about information architecture: what it is and is not, how to determine the best IA for websites, and so forth. At this event, it was the other way around. I was educating, or perhaps re-educating, information architects about SEO.

Search engine optimization has never been sprinkling magical pixie dust on a website.

Teaching SEO can be frustrating because one must deal with negative stereotypes (“snake-oil charlatans”) and erroneous, preconceived notions about SEO.

How many times are we faced with a prospect who thinks SEO is about sprinkling magic fairy dust on a website so that it ranks #1 in Google all of the time for every targeted keyword phrase?

Oh, apparently we have the magical ability to make this happen…last week.

To be perfectly honest, I often prefer to work with people who are completely ignorant about SEO so I don’t have to deal with the stereotypes, preconceived notions, and Google gullibility.

Nevertheless, I have to acknowledge that the stereotypes, SEO myths, and gullibility exist. Acknowledging and challenging the negative stereotype is par for the course.

SEO Awareness

I have said it before. And I will say keep repeating until the world grasps this fundamental SEO concept: SEO is optimizing a website for people who use search engines.

Like the term “website usability,” the term “search engine optimization” is easily misunderstood. People honestly make statements such as, “I am the user,” and “Optimize for the average searcher,” and “People use my website all of the time; therefore, it is user friendly.”

Usability is about task completion and involves the following items:

Efficiency Effectiveness Learnability Memorability Error prevention User satisfaction

It is easy for people to believe that search engine optimization is optimizing a website for search engines only. Too easy, I think.

In reality, SEO has always been about searchers and search engines. Ignoring one at the expense of the other is a mistake…a big mistake.

So how do we make people aware of what the SEO process really is? I posed this question to one of my clients. Here is his 2 cents:

“Even though staff learned about SEO responsibilities that were not directly a part of their jobs, at least they have an awareness about how their contributions can positively or negatively affect SEO. That awareness is invaluable.”

I believe his comments show great insight. Don’t expect everyone to know how to do SEO after a short presentation. Don’t expect everyone to instantly become an SEO expert after a few hours in a certification course. Expertise comes from knowledge and experience.

Nevertheless, I think it is reasonable to expect a fundamental awareness of SEO, knowing that SEO involves meeting the needs of both searchers and search engines. And also knowing that SEO is not the process of sprinkling magical pixie dust on a website.

I expect that fundamental awareness from anyone working on a website: designers, developers, usability professionals, user experience designers, writers, advertisers, information architects, and so forth.

That awareness is invaluable.

SEO Knowledge & Aptitude

Here is a proverbial tough pill to swallow: not everyone has the aptitude for SEO or different aspects of SEO.

SEO professionals should understand how people search as well as why people search.

Search engine optimization has a human element as well as a technical element. Some SEO professionals are gifted technical SEOs. This is the group to turn to for assistance in managing duplicate content.

Some SEO professionals are expert copywriters. Some SEO experts are skilled at usability testing and might be the group to turn to if a site has search engine traffic and low conversions. Some SEOs are knowledgeable about how people search. And some SEOs are knowledgeable about why people search.

I wouldn’t ask an search engine optimizer who specializes in copywriting to program redirects. Nor would I expect a developer/programmer to be skilled at information architecture and usability testing.

I expect SEO professionals to have more than awareness. I expect them to have aptitude and knowledge.

If an SEO professional does not have a specific SEO skill needed for a project, I expect that person to reach out to an SEO who does…without feeling threatened. SEO should be a group effort. Everyone is on the same team.

I know. I know…easier said than done. Stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions can be difficult to debunk. So what did I share with the audience of information architects?

Part of an SEO’s job is:

Labeling website content so that it is easy to find (unique aboutness) Organizing website content so that it is easy to find Ensuring search engines have access to desired content Ensuring search engines don’t have access to undesirable content (or at least limiting access) Accommodating searchers’ navigational, informational, and transactional goals

Information architecture decisions can positively and negatively impact SEO on web search engines as well as site search engines. Information architects have a role in SEO. Have the awareness.

Even better? Have the knowledge to hire an SEO professional when one is needed. Have the knowledge and humility to recognize that you might not have the aptitude and talent for optimizing. Understand that SEO knowledge does not necessarily mean SEO aptitude. Understand your role in the optimization process. Be knowledgeable enough to recognize a “snake-oil charlatan.”

Information architecture guru Peter Morville wrote the following in the foreword of When Search Meets Web Usability:

“Shari Thurow is among the few specialists brave enough to jump the gap between search engine optimization and web usability. As a result, she has learned how and where to place stepping stones and build bridges. She can speak the language of link analysis and relevance ranking algorithms, while also understanding user psychology and information seeking behavior.”

Yep, I build bridges. But I cannot make anyone cross a bridge. Awareness is the first step. Take that first step, information architects. You won’t regret it.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Related Topics: Search & Usability

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Spreading SEO Awareness & Knowledge